After spending the better part of his 21-year NFL coaching career as the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels has a new gig.
On Monday, the Las Vegas Raiders held a press conference officially announcing that McDaniels had been hired to be the organization’s 22nd head coach.
This came a day after reports suggested McDaniels and Patriots de facto general manager Dave Ziegler were headed to Sin City.
Among the topics that came up during Monday’s presser was the status of starting quarterback Derek Carr. McDaniels touched on that in a big way, seemingly committing to the three-time Pro Bowler in the process.
“He certainly did a good job this year leading this offense,” Josh McDaniels told reporters. “We have the capacity and capability of winning here with Derek at quarterback. We know that.”
McDaniels added that he’s “looking forward to actually getting to meet him (Carr), know him as a person, as a human being, and then getting to work.”
As reports surfaced of McDaniels’ candidacy to become the Raiders’ next head coach, information was leaked that he’s a fan of Carr’s and believes in the embattled quarterback. It might have been one of the biggest draws for Raiders owner Mark Davis during the interview process.
Obviously, McDaniels had a tremendous amount of success with Tom Brady in New England. For some, that was a draw back given how good Brady has made every coach look during his future first ballot Hall of Fame career.
However, it also must be noted that Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones had himself a stellar first season under center in New England. Might McDaniels get the most out of Carr moving forward?
- Derek Carr stats (2021): 68% completion, 4,804 yards, 23 TD, 14 INT, 94.0 rating
Beyond the stats, Carr acted as a leader for a Raiders team that dealt with some major off-field turmoil this past season. That included head coach Jon Gruden resigning in disgrace and the tragic circumstances surrounding wide receiver Henry Ruggs prior to his release from the Raiders.
In the end, Carr led Vegas to a 10-7 record and just its second playoff appearance in the past 19 seasons.
With a new power structure emerging in Sin City, the hope is that the Raiders’ culture changes moving forward. That helps to explain some of the allure of Ziegler and McDaniels and their New England background.
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